Thursday, June 1, 2006

1)On the supportive cancer care front...the Journal of the National Cancer Institute has published an updated meta-analysis on erythropoietin use. (It is an update of this analysis.) The update isn't exactly great news--it continued to confirm that erythropoietins reduce transfusions and increase serum hemoglobin, but the new analysis demonstrated a statistically significant increase in thromboembolic events with erythropoietins. In addition there was a non-statistically significant trend for increased mortality with erythropoietins; at the very least there was no evidence of mortality benefit. The authors wonder if recent trials using erythropoietins in non-anemic or mildly anemic patients are to account for this; that is--the risks of erythropoietins in these populations outweigh any benefits.

2)The UK Multiple Sclerosis Society has published a guide on palliative care for people with multiple sclerosis (.pdf of the report here). It is quite long & I'll admit I haven't read the entire thing but I thought I'd mention it as it may be a valuable resource for some patients & clinicians.

Pallimed: A Hospice & Palliative Medicine Blog Founded June 8, 2005.
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